Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Chingola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chingola: $435 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Chingola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Chingola

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairo and in Chingola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $435 in Chingola, rent included.

Cairo $643
Chingola $435

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $734 in Chingola, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Chingola $734

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,034 in Chingola, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Chingola $1,034

Cairo costs about 48% more than Chingola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Chingola are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Chingola 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$14.93 ZMW 296

-68.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$24.97 ZMW 495

14.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 E£18.18

$0.53 ZMW 10.57

-33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.34 ZMW 6.73

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$0.59 ZMW 11.70

145.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$1.26 ZMW 24.90

77.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.80 ZMW 35.71

-46.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.17 ZMW 23.16

-37.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.55 ZMW 50.6

-69.80%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$1.86 ZMW 36.97

-37.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$5.22 ZMW 103

-2.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$4.60 ZMW 91.2

93.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.05 ZMW 40.59

-10.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.99 ZMW 39.38

-62.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.01 ZMW 39.91

-71.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$2.08 ZMW 41.23

-75.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$3.01 ZMW 59.7

-87.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.48 ZMW 29.35

-71.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.90 ZMW 17.80

-73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$1.55 ZMW 30.67

28.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$5.11 ZMW 101

46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$0.60 ZMW 11.85

153.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$0.79 ZMW 15.69

169.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.63 ZMW 12.53

-68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$10.21 ZMW 203

-85.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.35 ZMW 26.71

-65.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.6K E£1.7M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.4K E£1.5M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$27.54 E£1,441

$50.0 ZMW 992

-44.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.27 E£432

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$10.28 ZMW 204

175.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$121 E£6,356

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$20.68 ZMW 410

94.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$12.65 ZMW 251

292.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$50.5 ZMW 1,001

128.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$75.1 ZMW 1,488

-19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$15.3K ZMW 302.9K

-96.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$110 ZMW 2,180

82.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chingola: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Chingola

–

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Chingola

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Chingola

–

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Chingola

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Chingola

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Chingola

–

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Chingola

–

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 82% higher in Cairo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $25.00 in Chingola. Groceries tell a different story – $141 in Cairo vs $165 in Chingola – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇲 Chingola

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

210,073

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Chingola 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Chingola

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cairo vs Chingola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $652 in Chingola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Cairo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $25.00 in Chingola. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $435 in Chingola, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chingola – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chingola. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.